Atlanta United hit four rapid-fire goals in rally against Montreal Impact

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:30 am

Atlanta United FC stormed back to a 4-1 win against the Montreal Impact, with all of its goals coming in the final 25 minutes of the match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.

The visitors were in the lead soon after the opening whistle when Chris Duvall's cross from the right flank found Saphir Taider in the Atlanta penalty area and his diving header left Brad Guzan no chance.

With the hosts looking like they might drop points at home, Tata Martino's team sprang to life. Duvall was whistled for handball in the Montreal box and Miguel Almiron beat Evan Bush from the spot to level the score.

Kevin Kratz then put Atlanta in front with the first of his two goals, firing over the Impact wall from a free kick 20 yards away in the 77th minute after a Taider handball.

Almiron struck again in the 84th minute after the ball found its way back to him following his driving run from midfield and the Paraguayan poked home past Bush to extend the Five Stripes' lead.

Kratz put more gloss on the final scoreline when he added his second -- a near carbon copy of the first -- smashing another free kick from outside the area past Bush to put Atlanta into first place in the Eastern Conference with 19 points from its first eight matches.